This site offers the web service of automatic accompaniment to Arab vocal improvisation, Mawwāl. The Mawaweel application receives a monophonic vocal improvisation as input and plays it back accompanied with an Arab ensemble: oud, qanoun, nay and violin. This application is designed and developed by Fadi Al-Ghawanmeh.

The application consists of four sequential units: music information retrieval (MIR), composition, expressive performance emulation and effects. The MIR unit extracts the basic musical information such as the pitch contour and analyzes it afterwards. The composition unit uses the MIR analysis to control the algorithmic composition of several accompanying tracks. In the expressive performance emulation unit, several common Arab ornaments and articulations are added to the generated notes before playing them back using the sample sequencing technique. Whether in analysis, composition or in expressive performance emulation, Arab music theory and practice are used as references during algorithms' design. In the last unit, the auditory scene is improved via audio effects, mainly the multi-delay.

Arab music has great aesthetics and deserves to be disseminated among the young generation. While several accompaniment models have been presented for western musical forms since the mid-eighties (Christopher Raphael 2004) my research have not found a specific model dedicated to an Arab form, such as the Mawwāl. Indeed, Arab music features interesting qualities that can be really challenging for such an application. Examples include: rich ornamentation, wide vibrato, quartertone intervals, large number of modes and related formulas, lack of relevant literature, etc. In contrast, there are several qualities that might motivate developing successful applications. Examples include the heterophonic nature of Arab music and the common Slight asynchronization between notes' onsets due to rich ornamentation.

In addition to cultural and professional motivations for such initiatives, there is a social motivation as well. A web application providing a decent accompaniment to Mawwāl performance might be a pleasant way to share talent, poetry, and ideas among people. This idea is backed up by the fact that the complexity of the Mawwāl is subject to the performer. To some extent, anybody can perform a Mawwāl, at least a simple narrow-range phrase(s).

Adapted from:
- Al-Ghawanmeh, F. (2013). Automatic Accompaniment to Arab Vocal Improvisation ‘Mawwāl’. Unpublished Master’s Thesis, New York University, New York City, USA.

References:
- Raphael, C. (2004). Musical Accompaniment Systems Chance Magazine vol 17:4, 17-22.

Programming language and APIs:
- Java, JMSL (www.algomusic.com), and JSyn (www.softsynth.com/jsyn)